April 2014

Southern Loggin’ Times April issue features Read Logging, Inc., based in Warren, Tex., Jeremy Ray Construction, LLC, based in Lugoff, SC, and Lance Whittington Logging, based in Ellerbe, NC. The issue also highlights the upcoming 2014 Richmond Expo. Also covered is cutting tool maintenance and the latest machines and equipment.

In the April 2014 edition of Southern Stumpin’, Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Editors David Abbott and Jessica Johnson both discuss recent winter weather events in the South. Abbott writes, “Oh, the weather outside is frightful…Seriously, enough already with the snow and ice. I was excited when we in the Birmingham area got a surprise snow on my son’s birthday, January 28. The radio predicted a light dusting at 9 a.m.—that usually means little or nothing—but by 10 a.m. the scene outside my window looked more like a blizzard, and by 11 the schools were calling. What a great birthday present for a seven-year-old in Alabama! I was just grateful not to be one of the many people I knew who were forced to spend the night in their cars stuck on the highway (hint: foreshadowing!), or whose children had to stay overnight at school because there was just no way to get to them.”

Read Logging, Inc.

Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Associate Editor Jessica Johnson travels to Warren, Texas to spend some time with Read Logging, Inc. Billie Read, 44, and Wade Read, 38, are born loggers. They follow in the tradition of their father, grandfather and great grandfather working the woods of east Texas. Read Logging, Inc., which they own and operate today, was founded in 1964 by their parents, Ben and Cherie Read. Cherie is still active in the business today, while Ben passed away in 2006. Today’s operation is much different than in past years, but the brothers still use the knowledge and techniques passed down to them from previous generations. That legacy also includes faith, hard work, honesty and determination, all of which have been vital to the family’s success. The brothers are currently thinning timber that their grandfather, father and their own crews have clear-cut in the past. The Reads have a great respect for their past, but also know they have a very bright future.

Jeremy Ray Construction, LLC

Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Managing Editor David Abbott has the opportunity to visit Jeremy Ray Construction, LLC in Lugoff, South Carolina. Jeremy Ray, the owner of Jeremy Ray Construction, LLC, describes himself as a “typical, regular old fella.” He may be guilty of modesty to the point of inaccuracy. Ray is only 34, but he has accomplishment beyond his years and ambition to match. Already he has five crews to his name: two hardwood chipping jobs, two roundwood teams and one grinding operation. With biomass representing a growing part of his business, he has plans to add sixth and sevenths crews—another fuel chipping and another grinding job—in the near future. When he started his company back in 2005, Ray had next to no background in the woods. He had spent the previous seven years, since graduating high school at 18, working with his father as an electrician. At 25 he started Jeremy Ray construction by himself with just a backhoe and a dump truck.

Lance Whittington Logging

Southern Loggin’ Times magazine Managing Editor David Abbott visits with Lance Whittington Logging, located in Ellerbe, North Carolina. We’re told the Lord works in mysterious ways, and Lance Whittington, 37, certainly believes in that. He believes in miracles, too. In fact, he might say that he is living proof of miracles. He’s looking back now on just over 10 years since the night when he had his doubts he’d survive to see the next morning, or if he did, what kind of life he’d be able to live. He was 27 in 2004 and married to his high school sweetheart, Jessica (Jessie), with five kids, all of them under 10 years old—the youngest was two then. He’d already been working in the woods for the better part of a decade, on his father-in-law’s crew. He and a young farm helper, Derrick Housely, had spent the afternoon tearing down a hog house at the family farm and replacing it with a 38X140 shop. “We had the trusses up and had put the tin on one side, and we quit kind of early,” Whittington recalls the day in detail.

Thousands of forest industry players will converge at the Raceway Complex in Richmond, Va. May 16-17 for the 34th version of the East Coast Sawmill & Logging Equipment Exposition. Vendors of equipment and supplies, some 300 strong, will showcase their latest products and innovations. There will be acres of static and active machinery and equipment outside, plus scores of displays inside. All in all, it will amount to the largest collection of lumber, pallet, logging, biomass and related gear and services in the Eastern U.S. in 2014. Susan Jennings, show coordinator and president of Virginia Forest Products Assn., thinks that an upswing in the economy will help the show be a big success in 2014. “Our outlook is very positive and we’ve had an excellent response from attendees and exhibitors. We’re prepared to meet the requests of the attendees. They see the light at the end of the tunnel and they’re ready,” Jennings says.

At The Margins is designed to help loggers manage and/or operate their business better. Each month an expert provides information, tips or advice on how to maximize profitability, enhance efficiency or increase business knowledge. This month’s column is provided by David Sikorsky, a Technical Representative at Caterpillar Forest Products. The article is titled, “Cutting Tool Maintenance Can Save You Money.” Click here to view the full article.